Sunday (30/May/09) was a special and fun day for everyone at Museum Rudana in Ubud. People from different walks of life took part in a collaborative event taking place inside, in the yard, the park and practically every corner of the Museum.

The event, called the Rudana Museum Fiesta was the brainchild of Museum Rudana and the Bali Post Media Group aimed at supporting the government's national effort to revitalize the museums and to attract the public, museums lovers and everyone that concerns to access museums. It was also a part of Visit Museum Year 2010.

Many activities were geared for people of different age group. Almost 150 children joined in the art competitions ranging from coloring competition for kindergarten and third year primary school, whilst older children took part in drawing competitions. As the aim for this children art fair was to bring the public to the museums and to revitalize museums in general, the theme of all the competitions was about museums and their importance for the people, the culture and the nation. Students of junior and high schools also could prove their art skills and creativity in cartoon drawing competitions - which turned out to be popularly joined by many. As the event was a collaboration between the Museum and the Bali Post media group, the competition for the university students took the theme of Museum in Caricature. The jury for these competitions, consisting lecturers from the Institute of Fine Art in Bali and the representative of the Museum Rudana were quite surprised with some inspirational and the quality of results for both cartoon and drawing competitions. It's proven that these participants were really skilful and would someday be a professional in their own right.

The Museum Fiesta became much more alive when the parents and children and their representatives took part in the Museum Quiz that required them to answers the questions regarding the visit museum year, Museum Rudana and the partnership with the media. Men and women, young and old ran around inside the museum, checking the museum collections, interviewing the staff to answer the written questions prepared by the Museum. It was a day full fun. Everybody took part, and the partnership between the public and the museum was clearlydemonstrated. Judged by the public involvement in the Museum, the new paradigm of museums in general, that is to bring the public to the museums and to allow them access to take part in all activities and to revitalize the museums, seemed to have been met on that day and it is possible to further develop it.

Indeed, unlike in the west and many advanced countries in the region, museums in Indonesia have not yet become part of public's first list to visit, and the old stigma regarding museums as a center to collect archaic goods dies hard. Therefore, it was very interesting to see people got engaged and more active in trying to acquire information regarding the collection. One participant said it: "I have never experienced this before. I feel very challenged to get information about the collection. I thought museums were very boring and only dedicated to students and children. Working together in a team or competing with other people have made the visit to this museum fun. I truly enjoy this, and so do my children."

As the Museum Fiesta meant also Open Day Museum, public were free to get in to the museums. With special guided tours lead by Mr. Muka, the advisor at the Museum, guests and participants became aware of the significance of the museum as a compound and as a building. Each contains its own philosophy as explained by Mr. Muka.

Mr. Nyoman Rudana, the Founder of the Museum Rudana reiterated in his welcome speech that museums in general need partners from different sectors. "partnership between Museum Rudana and Bali Post Media Group is a pioneer in the collaboration aimed at introducing museums to people of different strata. This partnership should be followed up with different kinds of programs to preserve, develop and build the art and culture of Bali, and in wider context, Indonesia" Nyoman Rudana stressed.

Synergy Award

The Museum Fiesta was filled with award presentation to individuals who have tirelessly contributed to the development of the arts and culture, especially through the writings they wrote or through the media groups they head. Among few names that came on the selection, three were finally chosen. First, was Dwi Sutarjantono of Esquire Magazine, who, in the occasion was deemed to represent figures in the mass media from Indonesia. The one regarded as to have contributed to the development of the art and culture, especially in Bali, that represents the English media is Alistair G. Speirs of Now! Bali Magazine. Through the articles on arts and culture of Bali, Alistair is considered to have contributed significantly in tourism industry, especially among the expatriates and English speaking tourists.

Another award was presented to Satria Narada of Bali Post Media Group. This special synergy award-winner was regarded as one of Bali's most significant figures in mass media. With such daily journalism, investigative reportage and art and culture columns, the media group, especially Bali Post that Satria Narada heads, has made the population in Bali well informed with the latest development on the island. On other note, Nyoman Rudana also recaps: "For years, Mr. Satria Narada has been major contributor to inform public of Balinese high culture nationally and internationally. As the leading media in information, education dissemination, as well as in culture and social norms he transforms the development and preservation of Balinese culture and tradition. Therefore, through the media that he leads he has accompanied theBalinese society and others who reside in Bali. For that, we consider him the best Balinese recipient for the Synergy Award."

In summary, this Synergy award has been able to unite figures in mass media from across sectors. Two awardees, one representing the East and the other representing the West, came to the stage to receive the Synergy Award, along with a museum lifetime membership with access and merchandise from the Museum. And, from Bali that represents Bali as the center of art and culture and spiritaulism, Satria Narada received the award and a painting as a token from the museum gracefully.

Putu Supadma Rudana presented a video that he made with his team for Puri Kesiman. The video, which is one of a kind, beautifully elaborates the significance of the Kesiman Palace as a center of Balinese culture nad tradition. The video and a painting as a token was presented to Mr. AA Ngurah Kesuma Wardhana of Puri Kesiman.
A national dignitary, the head of DPD, Mr. HE Irman Gusman was also present at the event. He presented the awards to the recipients, as well as trophies to winners of the art competitions. He reiterated his whole support in the Museum's commitment in building the art and culture of Bali.

Museum as A Center of Excellence

Apart from addressing the guests, surprisingly consisting high local and national dignitaries, about the importance of partnership and collaboration between the museums and mass media, Mr. Nyoman Rudana reminds the guests about the other potential of a museum, that is to be a center of excellence. He repeatedly quoted Putu Supdama Rudana's credo: " a museum has the potential to become a reference for education, a center for information regarding the art and culture or anything concerning its collection, as well as to give a venue for the public, who are the main clients of the museum, to learn and to seek knowledge".

To conclude the event, Putu Rudana, the chairman IV for the Indonesian Museum Association, put it vividly in his art and culture oration entitled Museum, Young Generation and Nation's Future: "I believe that the sustainability of this country is in the hands of its young generation, therefore museums should support any idea that will boost their confidence, provide them with opportunities to create and to find expression so that they can find the essence of who they are. By doing this, museums would allow these young generation to experiment through arts and other cultural activities that later can be beneficial for them to contribute in the nation and character building."